Apparatus for ore concentration.



W. BROADBRIDGE & A. G. HOWARD.

APPARATUS FOR ORE CONCENTRATION.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 23, 1913.

1,084,196, Patented Jan. 13, 1914 UNTTED STAT12 PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER BROADBRIDGE AND ALLEN CRAWFORD HOWARD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND,ASSIGNORS TO MINERALS SEPARATION LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR ORE CONCENTRATION.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itv known that we, WALTER BROAD- BRIDGE and ALLEN CRAWFORD HOWARD,subjects of the King of England, and residing in London, England, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for OreConcentration, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to apparatus for oreconcentration and more particularly to apparatus for carrying out' theWell known agitation-froth flotation process as described for example inthe previous United States Patents No. 835,120, to Sulman, Picard andBallot, November 6, 1906, No. 962,678, to Sulman, Grcenway and Higgins,June 28, 1910, and

' No. 1,064,723, to Greenway and Lavers, June The apparatus is adevelopment from that.

described in the previous United States Patents Nos. 953,746, to T. J.Hoover, April 5, 1910, and 979,857 to T. J. Hoover, December 27, 1910,and comprises a series of mixing and aerating vessels each containing arotary agitator, and a series of spitzkastens contiguous thereto andcommunicating therewith.

This invention is particularly applicable between the spitzkastens ofpartitions which do not extend up to the liquid level so as to leave oneuninterrupted surface for the formation of the froth.

This invention is particularly applicable in combination with the aparatus described in the previous United tates Patent No. 1,064,209, toJ. Hebbard, June 10, 1913.

Apparatus embodying the present invention may comprise a series ofagitating and aerating vessels, substantially on the same level, aseries of spitzkastens also on. the same level and contiguous theretobut staggered in relation to the agitating vess'els, a high level outletfrom each agitating vessel (or group of agitating vessels) to the nextspitzkasten and a low level outlet from that spitzkasten to the bottomof the next agltating vessel, the partitions between the spltzkastensterminating below the l quid level in the spitzkastens so that there isone liquid surface common to the whole of the spitzkastens on whichsurface the froths formed at all parts of the apparatus collect.

*Where several agitating vessels are coupled together to form a groupand discharge I into one spitzkasten, or where a single agitating vesseldischarges into a spitzkasten, it is convenient to employ the termsection as meaning either such an agitating vessel or a group ofagitating vessels.

scribed in the previously mentioned United States patent to Hebbard, No.1,064,209, we find it convenient in app-lying this invention thereto, toemploy two or more agitating vessels to each spitzkasten. Thus the pulpin its travel through the apparatus may pass through three agitatingvessels, then through one spitz'zkasten, then through two agitatingvessels and one sp-itzkasten and again through two agitating vessels andone spitzkasten and so forth, each such group of agitating vesselsforming a section. We have also found it advantageous to apply thisinvention in conjunction with the apparatus described in the Britishpatent to Howard, No. 22,743 of 1912. In that patent it is proposed toemploy a grid within the mixing vessel to obstruct the rotation of thepulp therein. I

As afeature of the present invention we find it advantageous to employ agrid at the outlet only of each mixing vessel. This grid consists of'aseries of vertical plates or projections spaced apart and with verticalflat faces so placed as to obstruct the rotation of the pulp and directit outwardly through the grid and the result is that the grid acts as aseries of battles to increase the agitation and aeration, and also actsas a pulp directing outlet for the agitated pulp, delivering the latterin a series of streams into the spitzkasten so that the ulp thusdelivered into the spit-zkasten will flow toward the front end of thespitzkasten and a full opportunity will thus be afforded for theflotation in the spitzkasten of the 'froth potentially formed in thepulp by the agitation to which the pulp has been subjected.

The following is adescri-ption of one form of'apparatus embodying thisinvention, and in the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of the apparatus partly insectlon, Fig. 2 is a plan and Fig. 3 is asectional sideelevation on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The series of agitation and aeration vessels A A, A A, A", A, etc., arearranged side by side and preferably on the same level.

Referring to the form of apparatusde These are coupled together ingroups or pairs, each such group or pair constituting a section, that isto say, the first, second, and third vessels, A A A are connected byorifices B and E the fourth vessel A is connected to the fifth A by anorificeB and so forth, and these orifices may be provided with gridsK,which project into the mixing vessels and act as battles therein.These agitation and aeration vessels A A A A*, A A, etc., may consist ofone long wooden box 0 divided by vertical partitions D D 1), D D D etc.,into separate vessels. Each such vessel is provided with an agitator Epreferably of the type described in the previously mentioned BritishPatent, No. 22,743 of 1912, to Howard, and agitators of this type areindicated in the drawings of the present application. Along side of theagitation and aeration vessels are, a number of spitzkastens F F F Fconveniently one for each section or group of agitation vessels. Thesespitzkastens are substantially on the same level as the mixing vessels,z. 6., with the bottoms of the spitzkastens sloping up from the bottomsof the agitation vessels. These spitzkastens are staggered in relationto the groups of agitation vessels, 6 c. the first spitzkasten 1?contacts with the second and third agitation vessels A and A belongingto the first section or group of these vessels and with half of thefourth A. The second spitzkasten contacts with the fourth and fifthagitation vessels A and A belonging to the second section of thevessels, and

a half the sixth A, belonging to the third section and so on. At aconvenient point in the height of the third agitation vessel A say halfway up, is a high level orifice G leading to the first spitzkasten. Thisorifice preferably consists of a grating K, the bars or plates of whichproject into the agitating vessel and act as bailies therein and alsoact to direct the pulp as it flows from the agitation vessel to thespitzkasten. The extent of the outlet may be required by a platecovering a portion of the grating. At the bottom of the firstspitzkasten is a low-level orifice H leading into the bottom of thefourth mixing vessel A and so on. Each spitzkasten is thus provided withtwo orifices, one at a high level by which the agitated pulp is passedfrom one agitation vessel to the spitzkasten and the other at a lowerlevel by which the pulp which sinks passes to the next agitation vesselin the series. 1

The main feature of this invention lies in the fact that the partitionsJ J J 3 between the spitzkastens do not extend up to the be provided atthe overflow lip of the spitzkastens to facilitate the discharge of thefroth into the launder L.

The advantageous results of this invention are to simplify the apparatusas a whole, to obviate the friction and obstruction which arise when thespitzkastens are completely separated from one another and to allow thefroths to be automatically adjusted to comparative uniformity. Incarrying out the agitation-froth process in the usual way, the greatestfroth is formed on the first spitzkasten and it is common for thequantity and coherence of the froth to diminish as the pulp proceedsthrough the apparatus, but with the apparatusabove described the wholespitzkasten surface is available for the collection and separation ofthe froth and thus any overloading of one or more spitzkastens isavoided, and the froth as a whole has a more uniform opportunity ofrejecting any gangue accidentally taken up with it, and the froth, as awhole is more mobile and can flow more freely away from the spitzkastensinto the launders. It will be seen that in this apparatus pipes, valves,or attachments between the different parts of the apparatus are entirelydispensed with.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. The hereindescribed apparatus for carrying out the agitation-frothprocess of ore concentration comprising in combination a series ofagitating and aerating vessels, a series of spitzkastens contiguousthereto and communicating with a plurality .of the said vessels atvarious points, and partitions between the spitzkastens which do notextend up to the liquid level, so as to leave one uninterrupted surfacefor the formation of the froth.

2. The hereindescribed apparatus for ,car-

rying out the agitation-froth process of ore concentration comprising incombination a series of agitating and aerating vessels, a series ofspitzkastens contiguous thereto and communicating with a plurality ofthe said vessels at various points, but staggered inlrelation to theagitating and aerating vessels, and partitions between the spitzkastenswhich do not extend up to the liquid level, so as to leave oneuninterrupted surface for the formation of the froth.

3. The hereindescribed apparatus for carrying out the agitation-frothprocess of ore concentration comprising in combination a series ofagitating and aerating vessels arranged in sections, a series ofspitzkastens contiguous thereto and communicating with a plur lity ofthe said vessels at various points, but staggered in relation to theagitating and aerating vessels, a high level outlet from each section tothe next spitzkasten and a low level outlet from the spitzkasten to thebottom of the first agitating vessel of the next section, and partitionsbetween the spitzkastens which do not extend up to the liquid level, soas to leave one uninterrupted surface for the formation of thefroth.

4. The hereindescribed apparatus for car-' points, but staggered inrelation to the agitatmg andaerating vessels, a high level outlet fromeach section to the next spit-zkasten, a grating in such outlet havingbars or plates which project into the agitating vessel, a low leveloutlet from the spitzkasten to the bottom of the first agitating vesselof the next section, and partitions between the spitzkastens which donot extend up to the liquid level, so as to leave one uninterruptedsurface for the formation of the froth.

5. The hereindescribed apparatus for carrying out the agitation-frothprocess of ore separation comprising, in combination, a series ofagitating and aerating vessels arranged in sections, aseries ofspitzkastens contiguous thereto and communicating with a plurality ofthe said. vessels at various points, an outlet from each said section tothe next spitzkasten, a gratin in each such outlet having bars or platesorming pulpdirecting bafiies and an outlet from the spitzkasten to thefirst agitating vessel of the next section.

In testimony whereof wehave signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER BROADBRIDGE. ALLEN CRAWFORD HOWARD.

Witnesses:

J. WILLIAMS, H. D. JAMESON.

